A New Perspective

I have a friend who is blind. Because she lives in Texas, I really only communicate with her through e-mail, facebook, twitter, etc. She is one of the most descriptive writers I know, so it easily slips my mind that she is blind. But lately it has been a focus of mine. I have no idea why, since I’ve known her for a few years, but recently I’ve just really been reflecting on what her daily life is like. For example, the other day I was watching music videos. Adele’s video for “Rolling In the Deep” came on, which made me think of Jena because we have a mutual love for Adele’s music. Then I started wondering if Jena ever wonders what music videos are like. If she would love them, or if she prefers not to see them so she can create the own story in her head. I assumed people have explained them to her before, but I sent her an e-mail anyways with my questions. She was happy to answer.

Jena explained that when she was younger, she was interested. She then said...

Now that I'm older, I no longer have any use for music videos, and in fact, I've come to think of them in opposite terms than I used to. I think they detract from the song. If you're WATCHING, I think it takes away from listening, and sometimes people just need to listen. Sound, instrumentation, harmony, lyrics, just the "feeling" in the music, there's a lot to a song, and I'm afraid it gets overlooked these days.
I expected this answer; Jena is a very creative person.

But this isn’t all about music videos.

I guess what I’m trying to say is Jena is able to create her own view of the world. She is also one of the most accepting, compassionate people that I have ever met. I wonder what all of us would be like, if we did not…COULD not judge based on appearance? This has really been on my heart lately., I know I’m as guilty as others of doing just the opposite of that- no matter how hard I try. But because this has been actively on my mind lately, I’ve noticed I have been better about it. I stop myself from making judgments.

A great example of this-and something I know most of my “readers” can relate too-American Idol. I actually wrote a paper on this in college, how reality shows “type cast”. But think about it. You’re watching the auditions, you see someone, and before they even tell their story, you say “they are going to be awful” or “they’re gonna be good”. We need that to stop. I am seriously considering watching Idol blindfolded tomorrow night only to discover if my opinion changes, based solely on hearing their intro package and singing. EDIT: I asked Jena about this, she is all on board. So I AM going to be doing this and blogging about my experience. Anyone with me?

But, non Idol related everyday life. Let go of judgment- Try it. Try and make yourself aware next time you go out- the grocery store, church, mall…if you start to criticize someone based on their appearance, take a step back and ask yourself why. What, exactly, does your opinion matter? It doesn’t. You don’t know that person or their story. You don’t know what they have been through that day. Smile instead.

Know your worth, and know that everyone deserves a chance.